A Fresh Start for Your Desktop

The start of a new year often brings with it a desire to declutter and begin anew. Our screens and workspaces are no exception. To help welcome 2023 with a sense of clarity and creativity, we've gathered a fresh selection of desktop wallpapers from artists and designers around the world.

This collection marks another installment in our long-running monthly series, providing free, unique artwork to inspire your workday or add a touch of color to the winter months. You can click on each preview image for a closer look, and every wallpaper is available for download in a wide range of resolutions, some with a January calendar and some without.

We extend our thanks to all the creatives who contributed. As always, artists were given complete freedom to explore their own ideas; nothing was influenced by us. If you're an artist yourself, we're always on the lookout for new talent for our upcoming collections.

Here is this month's selection of wallpapers.

Bird Bird Bird Bird

"Just four birds, ready for winter." — Designed by Vlad Gerasimov from Georgia.

Bird Bird Bird Bird

You can download this wallpaper with or without a calendar. Available resolutions include standard sizes up to 5120x2880, from 800x480 through 3840x2160, as well as various other common aspect ratios like 16:9, 16:10, and 4:3.

A Bear’s New Year’s Resolution

Ricardo Gimenes, a designer from Sweden, starts the year with a mindful twist. His wallpaper features a bear in meditation, a calm counterpart to the usual January rush.

Yogabear

The artwork is offered in a wide variety of resolutions, both with and without a calendar. All standard desktop sizes are covered, from 640x480 up to 3840x2160 for 4K displays, as well as mobile-oriented 1024x1024 options.

Winter’s Active Side

MasterBundles, a design team based in Ukraine, takes a different approach. Instead of cozying up indoors, their contribution highlights the active pleasures of the season.

“People often want to stay home in winter, watch cozy Christmas movies and cook gingerbread. Our designers decided to show the other side of winter pastime — namely, comfortable winter activities — snowball games, skiing, and hockey. You will find more calendar options in our post.”

The design is known by the title “Comfortable Winter Activities” and showcases these outdoor pursuits.

Comfortable Winter Activities

Like the first design, it is available in a full range of resolutions from 320x480 (for portrait mobile displays) up to 2560x1440, with and without a calendar overlay.

Winter Scenes To Welcome January

Two wallpaper sets round out this month’s collection, each offering a different seasonal mood. One nods to the lunar calendar; the other leans into holiday nostalgia.

Hoppy New Year

Jenna Miller of Mad Fish Digital in Portland, Oregon, marks 2023 as the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac, pairing the greeting with a playful nod to the occasion.

Hoppy New Year

Christmas Snow Globe

PopArt Studio from Serbia contributes a detailed snow globe scene. Cozy house, falling snow, and a ready-made winter atmosphere — the design works as a brief escape to a Christmas setting whenever you look at your screen.

Christmas Snow Globe

Dangerous

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Dangerous

Preview · with calendar · without calendar

Winter In The White House

“The new year is here and in this 2023 we will visit some of the best-known buildings around the world. We start with The White House. What will be next?” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela Jimenez from Spain.

Winter in the White House

Preview · with calendar · without calendar

Open The Doors Of The New Year

“January is the first month of the year and usually the coldest winter month in the Northern hemisphere. The name of the month of January comes from ‘ianua’, the Latin word for door, so this month denotes the door to the new year and a new beginning. Let’s open the doors of the new year together and hope it will be the best so far!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Open the Doors of the New Year

Preview · without calendar

Motivation and Quixotic Quests

Shawna Armstrong of the United States offers a stark reminder about taking the first step, however small. Her design pairs a simple, bright visual with the message: “If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives. Start today — somewhere, anywhere.”

Start Somewhere

For a quieter alternative, Nathalie Ouederni from France captures the fleeting beauty of late winter with her “Winter Leaves” design, which uses a monochrome palette of delicate leaf silhouettes.

Winter Leaves

For the literary-minded, Veronica Valenzuela Jimenez from Spain suggests starting the year with a classic. Her playful illustration declares: “This year we are going to travel through books, and you couldn’t start with a better one than Don Quijote de la Mancha!”

Don Quijote, Here We Go!

Playful Perspectives

Design studio Ever Increasing Circles from the United Kingdom points to a simple antidote to modern discord. Their vibrant piece, created to mark International Fun at Work Day (January 24th), pairs with the phrase: “These are polarized times we’re living through. ... So sometimes you just have to find the time to remember that the one thing that connects us all is a good laugh. And there is no better laugh than the belly laugh!”

Laughter Is An Instant Vacation

Finally, Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden adds a surreal note with “The Little Paradox”, a whimsical scene that invites a second look and offers a moment of quiet contemplation for your desktop.

The Little Paradox

Lettering for a Fresh Start

Carolina Sequeira from Portugal embraces the symbolism of January with a lettering-focused design. For her, the new year is a chance to begin something genuinely positive, and the artwork is meant to reinforce that feeling of optimism rather than merely decorate a screen.

A New Beginning

An Energetic Pop of Color

From Elise Vanoorbeek in Belgium comes a wallpaper that leans into the celebratory side of the month’s start. The design is vivid and playful, made to bring a sense of fun to the desktop.

Boom.

Quiet Magic After the Holidays

PopArt Studio from Serbia focuses on the calm that follows the holiday season. Once the noise subsides, the studio suggests, there is space for the “magic” of setting intentions for the year ahead — for their wishes, hopes, and decisions to take shape.

Let the Magic Begin

A Daily Reminder

Amalia Van Bloom from the United States offers a straightforward piece of motivation to help keep you grounded through the month. According to the designer, it’s intended as a small daily nudge to maintain composure and focus.

be awesome today

Celebrating the New Year, Japanese Style

Evacomics from Singapore contributes a piece inspired by Japanese New Year traditions. The design brings a distinct cultural flavor to the standard January theme, offering an alternative aesthetic for the month.

Japanese New Year

A Toast to Comfort

Acodez IT Solutions from India looks beyond the new year to another January observance: Hot Tea Month. Their design celebrates the comfort a warm cup can offer, from starting the day on a good note to unwinding after a long one and making time with loved ones feel cozier. The accompanying text reads as a tribute to that favorite daily ritual.

Happy Hot Tea Month!

January Art, Six Ways

Designers are ready for January, offering a mix of festive, tranquil, and playful wallpapers. Here is a selection that captures the shift from winter to the new year, with each piece available in a wide range of screen resolutions.

A Serene Start

For those seeking a calm transition, Jens Gilis from Belgium presents “Peaceful Mountains.” This flat art piece uses peaceful colors to evoke rest after the holiday season. It is available in versions from 640x480 up to 2560x1440.

Peaceful Mountains

Winter Festivities

  • Angel In Snow: A wintery design from Ukrainian studio Brainer. Options range from 800x600 to 1920x1440, all without a calendar.

    Angel in Snow!

  • Colorful January: Created by Nathalie Ouederni from France. This wallpaper brings bright hues to the new month, with resolutions starting at 320x480 and going up to 2560x1440.

    Colorful January

  • Oaken January: Serbia's PopArt Studio draws on local tradition, explaining that oak branches and leaves are burnt in January to symbolize the start of a new year and new life. The warm design captures a family gathering. Download sizes range from 320x480 to 2560x1440.

    Oaken January

Call of the Wild

Belgian designer Chiara Faes offers “Wolf-Month,” noting that this is another name for January in Dutch (wolfsmaand). The wallpaper is offered in sizes from 640x480 up to 2560x1440.

Wolf-Month

All wallpapers are provided without calendar overlays, allowing the artwork to remain clear, and each download link contains the full-resolution file.

Wallpapers From the Community

This month's collection features a playful mix of winter scenes, festive illustrations, and nature-inspired designs. Each wallpaper is available in a wide range of resolutions, and you can download both calendar and no-calendar versions for every entry.

Snowman

Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden contributes a classic winter motif, perfectly suited for the season.

Snowman
  • Preview
  • Without calendar: available in resolutions from 320x480 up to 2560x1440.

Designer Denise Johnson from Chicago notes, “I wanted to try my hand at creating a low-poly illustration and thought a champagne glass would be fun.”

Pop, Fizz, Clink
  • Preview
  • Without calendar: available in resolutions from 1024x768 up to 1920x1200.

Rubber Ducky Day

Ilya Plyusnin from Belgium offers a cheerful scene for those gloomy winter days: “Winter can be such a gloomy time of the year. The sun sets earlier, the wind feels colder and our heating bills skyrocket. I hope to brighten up your month with my wallpaper for Rubber Ducky Day!”

Rubber Ducky Day
  • Preview
  • Without calendar: available in resolutions from 320x480 up to 2560x1440.

Hidden Gem

Franke Margrete from the Netherlands explains the story behind her submission: “Kingfishers are called ‘ijsvogels’ (ice-birds) in Dutch. Not because they like the winter cold, but because of the intense blue and teal colors.”

Hidden Gem
  • Preview
  • Without calendar: available in resolutions from 320x480 up to 5120x2880.

A Cozy Last Stop in January

With the holiday rush behind us and the long, cold stretch of winter ahead, a little rest can go a long way. That was the thinking behind this wallpaper from Dorothy Timmer in Central Florida, USA, designed for the "Festival of Sleep" observed on January 3rd. The illustration leans into the season’s cozy mood, an invitation to settle in, get comfortable, and enjoy a quiet nap before the year fully gets underway.

As with the other entries in this month’s collection, the design is available in a wide range of screen resolutions. You can grab a version with a calendar for the new month, or opt for a clean layout without one. The file below links to a preview of the design.

Rest Up For The New Year
Smashing Editorial